Today marks one month since I started as a full-time policy analyst at Scioto Analysis. I originally started at Scioto Analysis as an intern in January of last year. Then, I returned as a research assistant last summer, and I came on permanently as a policy analyst in May. Today, I wanted to take some time to reflect on my path to Scioto Analysis, my time at Scioto Analysis so far, and look to the future.
What was my path to becoming a policy analyst?
I graduated from The Ohio State University last month with a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Political Science. I grew up in a household where resources were tight, so when I got to college, I was always passionate about economics and policymaking. Growing up, I got to experience some economic policies that work very well and some that work very poorly. This is a big part of the reason I’m excited to join Scioto Analysis as a policy analyst: I get to help provide evidence-based analysis for policymakers and organizations to inform decision making around these very policies I experienced myself.
During college, I realized that to contribute most effectively to economic policy, I should focus on the analytical side of policymaking. I found myself especially excelling in my math, economics, statistics, and programming coursework. I earned a minor in Computer Science, and I took as many econometric and political analysis courses that my majors allowed for.
Outside of Scioto Analysis, I also completed an internship with the Ohio Auditor of State, which helped to further develop my analytical skills. I received training in Microsoft Excel, and I assisted with various state projects to test out different analytical techniques. I became a stronger and more organized analyst, which helped me move into a more significant role as research assistant at Scioto Analysis during my final year of college.
How has my time been spent at Scioto Analysis?
During my internship at Scioto Analysis, I conducted a cost-benefit analysis about wildlife crossings. The internship was one of the most valuable learning experiences I completed during college.
Throughout each twelve-week internship, interns conduct a cost-benefit analysis mostly independently with a lot of guidance and review from the rest of the team. Our internship is great for people who find experiential learning most effective–it requires a deep dive into a specific subject material and a high level of discipline to stay on track.
The cost-benefit analysis has since gotten fairly consistent coverage by various organizations and news outlets. Earlier this year, the analysis was cited by the Pew Research Center in a fact sheet about wildlife crossings. Just last week, Treelines cited the cost-benefit analysis in an article discussing new wildlife crossings structures across the country.
I also got to present on the study at the 2025 Ohio Health Policy Summit and the 2026 annual conference for the Society of Benefit-Cost Analysis. The Society of Benefit-Cost Analysis hosts an annual conference in Washington D.C. to share current studies and findings in the cost-benefit analysis field.
I had the incredible opportunity as a research assistant to join the team and present on the report while also learning about other cutting edge research in the cost-benefit analysis space. My personal favorite presentation during the conference was a study presented by Solomon Hsiang from Stanford University on quantifying and monetizing global climate loss and damage, which you can read more about here.
In June of last year, I returned to Scioto Analysis as a research assistant. Almost immediately, I had the opportunity to play a major role in a variety of projects. Some of my favorite projects were as follows:
A process analysis of the energy permitting process in Ohio, where I did a deep dive into the Ohio legislative code to map out the legislative process surrounding energy permitting in Ohio
A county price parity analysis of affordability in Franklin County, where my colleague Micheal and I replicated the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s regional price parity at the county level
A refresh study of the state of inequality in Ohio, where I simulated what inequality in Ohio would look like under different tax scenarios
All of these projects helped develop a unique set of skills and knowledge that I will continue to use moving forward, including the ability to research, write, analyze data, program, and more.
Looking Ahead
Joining Scioto Analyst as a policy analyst is a very exciting step in my career–I’ve wanted to get involved with this kind of impactful policy work since my early days in high school debate. As a full-time analyst, I’m looking forward to the opportunity to collaborate on more economic analyses, learn more about state policymaking by writing more frequent blog posts, and become more connected in the state policymaking space.
If you have any advice as I continue on this new path as a policy analyst, or if you want to chat about any of the work I’ve done or new prospects, feel free to reach out at jacob@sciotoanalysis.com. Looking forward to many more blog posts!
